Which country in the 1970s made the best hifi components?

[dantheman91]

Yes, some very nice Quad stuff produced in the 70's, my 405-2 is currently playing Soft Machine through my origial JR-149's!!

Lovely.....

Excellent Taste Andrew...

[Gazjam]

Britain.
Think about it...

[Barry]

USA - Mark Levinson, Audio Research, Dayton Wright, Magnaplanar

Japan - Accuphase, Nakamichi, Stax, and Sony and Teac R2Rs

UK - Quad, Decca, Garrard

Norway - Electrocompaniet

Switzerland - FM Acoustics, Thorens, Studer, Nagra

Germany - Braun, EMT

[hermit]

USA - Mark Levinson, Audio Research, Dayton Wright, Magnaplanar

Japan - Accuphase, Nakamichi, Stax, and Sony and Teac R2Rs

UK - Quad, Decca, Garrard

Norway - Electrocompaniet

Switzerland - FM Acoustics, Thorens, Studer, Nagra

Germany - Braun, EMT

I would add Radford and Tannoy to your UK list and Yamaha and Luxman to your Japan list.

[anubisgrau]

UK - Quad, Decca, Garrard

interesting, i've always thought garrard went on horrendous decline since 70s (including a line of bizzare DDs)

401 as their last good TT was launched in mid-60s.

also not sure about quad, since they had no speaker developments in the 70s, the only new product was (IMHO a dubious) 405, more interesting for design than sound.

i would say if there's a still relevant 70s british audio product, it's tannoy HPD drivers.... (someone else has to mention LP12 haha)

decca is a good call, they really became strong in the 70s with improved versions of their old design - blue, maroon, gold.

japan was so much ahead of everyone in the 70s, especially in the late decade when a boom of the consumer audio market made big corporations able to invest crazy money in R&D. the products made on a turn from 70s to 80s are absolutely impossible to happen again on the commercial market and make everything else produced more or less agricultural.

[Barry]

I would add Radford and Tannoy to your UK list and Yamaha and Luxman to your Japan list.

I was going to add them, but the question was referring to the '70s. Both Radford and Tannoy made their reputation in the '60s and designs made in the '70s did not IMO show any improvement over the earlier designs.

[Barry]

interesting, i've always thought garrard went on horrendous decline since 70s (including a line of bizzare DDs)

401 as their last good TT was launched in mid-60s.

also not sure about quad, since they had no speaker developments in the 70s, the only new product was (IMHO a dubious) 405, more interesting for design than sound.

i would say if there's a still relevant 70s british audio product, it's tannoy HPD drivers.... (someone else has to mention LP12 haha)

decca is a good call, they really became strong in the 70s with improved versions of their old design - blue, maroon, gold.

japan was so much ahead of everyone in the 70s, especially in the late decade when a boom of the consumer audio market made big corporations able to invest crazy money in R&D. the products made on a turn from 70s to 80s are absolutely impossible to happen again on the commercial market and make everything else produced more or less agricultural.

The Garrard 401 was available well into the '70s, but would agree Garrard's newer designs were poor, as were Thorens, post TD160.

The Quad 44 preamp and 63 speaker appeared on the market during the late '70s.

[anubisgrau]

The Quad 44 preamp and 63 speaker appeared on the market during the late '70s.

I thought it was introduced in 1981. My bad...

[struth]

Think when you consider all the major Japanese companies input during that decade, it not even close as to who were electronics masters. As much as i like British electronics, as i did British motorbikes, the Japanese gave us what we Brits wanted and British companies wouldnt, or couldnt. Hence our demise, along with our motorbike industry.

[Wakefield Turntables]

I'd add sansui to the list of Japanese companies that made sublime equipment during the 70s, the ca3000 or the massive ba5000 which could pump 600watts into any speaker back In the day.